destiny
by Invader-Hime
Summary: The day has arrived. The day he never thought would come. It always seemed so far away. Draco Malfoy faces his destiny like the man he may never have the chance to become. Rated for some frightening images in later chapters.Brand New Chapter in 307
1. The Last Day

Hello!

I know I shouldn't start a new fic, but this idea has been in my head and will not go away, so I had to get it out there.

As always, its a DMXHG pairing. Its pretty one sided. But hey, There is always later.

It can be considered canon or AU, I wrote it as a companion to my other short fic, Unseen. but its not necessary at all to this fic. both stand on their own fine.

This chap feels so melodramatic. The next two won't be. I'm planning on this being about 4 chapters long.

All characters belong to JKR. I am borrowing them.

DESTINY

Chapter 1: The Last Day

"Time grows short. You know we must leave. You do realize what this means, don't you son?"

The voice of Lucius Malfoy cut into his sons ears like a paring knife.

On countless other occasions, his father's voice had been a constant comfort. He

knew that a lot of the ideas his father put forward were riddled with fallacy, but it

didn't matter. But it DID matter in the end, didn't it? There was one thing he had

never lied about. That one thing was on a chain around his neck and pressed

coldly into his flesh, a constant reminder of his fate.

But today...

Today was the last day...

"Yes, I...I do. But, I..there's someone I need to see first. It will only take a few moments,"

Draco swallowed hard. His father nodded his consent. The young man did

not wait for a verbal approval. He took off with a noticeable speed. His pale blue

eyes scanned over countless students in identical robes looking for the one person

he wanted to see one last time. He had to tell them something...something

important and it was the only time he could. It was the only time his father would

not have spies around him. Draco had agreed to go with him, to fulfill his father's

promise to...to _him_! He shuddered at the thought.

But he couldn't think off such things now!

He didn't have much time left. He just had to find her!

He had to because this was his last day!

For everyone else, it was Tuesday. Just Tuesday, that's all.

The last day he would walk the halls of Hogwarts Castle, the last time he'd

hear his shoes make contact with the cold stone floors. They always did make

such an echo. It was funny what you would think of when you realized it was for the

last time.

There!

He saw a flash of long, slightly frazzled hair. Draco stopped dead in his

tracks, his icy, calculating eyes analyzing every aspect of the scene.

There she was...Hermione Granger. The very concepts of beauty and pain

incarnate. Beautiful because of mind and talent. Pain because she made him feel

a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever he looked at her.

He had always known of his destiny. However, before today, he hadn't

given it a second thought. It was always far off. It was never today. But it was

today. There was no future for him...for them together...EVER.

She was talking, smiling and laughing with her two shadows, Harry Potter

and Ron Weasley. Draco bit his lip and ground it softly between his teeth as he

contemplated how he might draw her attention away from those meddlesome

companions of hers. Ha! No need! The two were distracted by Longbottom's

runaway toad, Draco thanked the Lord for the perfect timing of the usually

annoying amphibian.

Not wasting an instant, Draco quickly grabbed Hermione's arm (perhaps a little too harshly) and pulled her aside.

"I need to talk to you...alone," he said sternly, but barely above a whisper.

Hermione shot him a venomous look of disbelief.

"I'll bet you do! just long enough to curse me! Really, Draco Malfoy! You're a seventh year! Aren't you a little old to be-"

"Its not like that. Just...please. Please come with me,"

Something about the way his eyes shifted back and forth and looked glassy

made her feel uneasy. Hermione swallowed and momentarily pondered the pros

and cons of the situation. It was Malfoy. He was alone. A quick glance around the

room confirmed the fact. Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be warming up to another

Slytherine seventh year and seemed to be treating the boy the same way they had

been treating Malfoy. Well, until today that is. The sheer surreal nature of the

situation made Hermione comply with her nemesis' request.

"Alright," she said in a voice that quivered ever so slightly.

Without another word, she followed the cloaked young man through through

various forgotten hallways and secret passages. The way Malfoy was walking

frightened her. His cloak billowed around his legs as he sped through the castle.

Hermione looked around anxiously. They were completely and utterly alone.

There were no students, no teachers, no ghosts, there weren't even any pictures in

this part of the school. She pulled slightly, as if trying to escape. Malfoy let go

instantaneously. The poor girl had to stumble two or three steps before she caught

herself.

"What on earth are you doing?" she demanded sharply.

Draco did not respond immediately. He seemed to be rather preoccupied

with jabbing at bricks in the wall. His efforts paid off, as the wall faded away,

revealing a secluded walkway among the towers of Hogwarts. Draco stepped out

onto the path and motioned for her to join him. The way he was acting was so

uncharacteristic of him that it did not seem to be the same Malfoy she had loathed

for seven whole years. No, this Malfoy was uneasy, and strangely tragic. His eyes

seemed to beg for something, yet they would not disclose what.

It frightened her. Hermione despised the unfamiliar and there was nothing

more unfamiliar than a Draco Malfoy who lacked the arrogant confidence that had

become a staple of his personality. Nonetheless, she followed him, wondering if

such an action was indeed a good idea.

"I'm sorry for being so rude earlier," Draco said with an earnest

Something exploded inside Hermione's skull. No matter how forlorn he looked, this was still Malfoy.

"You're sorry? Sorry? For earlier? How much earlier? You've been at it for-" she was interrupted once more.

"I'm sorry for ll seven of those years. I truly am but, I could only say hurtful

things to you. Up until now. This very day, as a matter of fact. All I could do was

say all those terrible things. It was either that or nothing. I just stand the thought of

not knowing you at all. I wanted you to remember me. Because...because I have to

go away and I would rather have you hate me than have no recollection of you at

all,"

The chilling pendant that hung around his neck pressed into his flesh a little

more than usual. Time was running out. Draco inhaled sharply and grasped the

girl's shoulders in with his sweaty hands. Hermione could not help but stare

directly into his fierce eyes. She could not remember a time when they had flared

as they did now.

"Hermione...you must not listen to anyone. You're so talented, you are

practically a genius and so many of the blind fools cannot appreciate you for what

you are. Just know that I always have...and always will,"

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but Draco had leaned in and

placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Hermione's face turned a brilliant shade of scarlet.

Draco smiled a soft and kind smile that seemed out of place on a face that had so

often held a look of cold and vile hatred. He looked so...nice. Nice? He had just

toted her a genius and the only word she could come up with was nice?

She was jolted back to her thoughts when Draco released her shoulders.

He brought a finger to her chin and rested it against her. He spoke again, trying to

sound cheerful, but sounding eerily melancholy.

"Now be a brave girl. Be strong and stay just as you are. If you remember

anything at all about me, let it be this moment and know that you are never alone

and that you are loved,"

The pendant around his neck cracked. It was almost as though he felt it, as if

it was connected to his being. But it was, wasn't it.

He looked at her a final time. Poor Granger, she looked so confused, he had

taken her entirely bur surprise. He wanted to hold her forever, but he never had a

future and therefore, could not have a forever, not even with her.

He leaned over a moment and kissed her forehead tenderly. She was still

staring at him. Her mouth moved, but she seemed unable to summon any words to

her. maybe that was for the best.

"Goodbye now," he said softly.

With that, Draco Malfoy turned around and exited the way he came. leaving

Hermione alone on a secret pathway hidden somewhere amongst the towers of

Hogwarts.

It was the last time she ever saw him.

She managed to collect herself after a moment and made her way after him, but there was no trace of him anywhere. It was as if Draco Malfoy had been spirited away.

END CHAPTER 1

Next chapter will be a flashback. It WILL explain the pendant theme here.

Thanks for Reading!


	2. Getting Out

Destiny-Chapter 2

AN: Wow! Thanks to my reviewers: Hippielover459 and daveyboyissexy. Here's going for more intrigue with chapter 2. I have decided to extend the story a little past 4 chapters. Pendant is not explained until next chapter, but this one has clues. See if you can guess what it does

Draco was dragging his feet now. His legs were heavy, but his eyelids were

heavier. His once agile stride had degenerated to a shuffled stumble. He had

made it back to his father alright, if you could call his situation alright, that was. He

seemed detatched from reality, mindlessly following his father's shape as it began

to lose definition, blurring into the scenery. Draco stopped dead in his tracks, the

world swirling around him. He tried to call out something to his father, who in his

rush to escape the notice of the student sand to avoid any further questioning from

the professors, had left the very thing he had worked so carefully to remove behind.

Lucius gave an exaggerated sigh that was plainly audible. What could

possibly be keeping the boy back. He turned around swiftly and was about to

make a sharp remark. But the sight before him kept him from making any noise at

all. The insult died on his tongue and the dark wizard felt the air whisk from his

lungs in a moment of pure chill.

Draco was standing..well, leaning would b a better word, against the wall of

the castle. The boy was a great deal paler than normal and he shuddered every

few moments and gave a slight spasm, as if plagued by a cold sweat. The closer

Lucius got to the boy, the more he could see just how much the boy had

degenerated since his little chat with whatever student he had been so anxious to

see. He was in fact soaked with perspiration and he seemed to have trouble

keeping balance. When Lucius finally reached him, Draco looked up forlornly at

his father with a look that Lucius had not seen in years. It was the pleading look of

a child in pain, a maddening, confused pain that had neither relief, nor purpose in

the child's eyes. But Lucius knew the purpose here and he would not tolerate any

more delays. Still, he did not know it would be this bad. Even he felt sorry for the

boy.

A strange irregularity in the flesh around Draco's hairline caught his

attention. He leaned over the boy and pulled his hair back. The pale flesh along

his hairline had several raised circular markings. All of them were interconnected

and gave the area a rocky, reptilian look. Lucius sighed again and offered his son

a hand. He had to get the boy out of here faster and though he did not enjoy

offering a hand to anyone, the situation dictated it. Draco took it and looked up at

him with such a look of relief and gratitude that it made Lucius' stomach drop.

If the boy only knew the truth of why he was helping him...

With Lucius' help, they were able to quicken their pace, but by the time he got to

the door of Hogwarts, he practically had to carry Draco. Lucius, with considerable

effort, was able to heave the boy into the carriage. After climbing in himself and

signaling to the driver to go, Lucius noticed that in that brief span of time, Draco had

fallen asleep. A fitful sleep, but at least it would keep him from noticing anything

that might potentially...upset him. Lucius Malfoy did not need any more

distractions.

With a sudden morbid curiosity, Lucius reached into Draco's robes and

pulled out the pendant that the boy always wore without fail. Its surface was no

longer the dazzling emerald green it once had been. Rather, the surface was

blackened and its once smooth surface was marred with many tiny cracks. Another

appeared a she was looking. Lucius released his grip on he pendant and sat back.

All he could hear was the sound of wheels on the road. Looking at the dark surface

of he pendant had brought back a lot of memories that he had chosen to ignore the

past seventeen years.

Narcissa had never forgotten. He doubted she had even forgiven. But, she

kept it to herself for the happiness of her son. Her son. Yes, he was Lucius' as

well, but he had never seemed like it. He seemed like the pet of someone.

Something to be looked after until its rightful owner came to claim it. Indeed, that is

what his role as a father had felt like. Perhaps after this whole mess business,

Narcissa wold find it in her heart to have another child, a real child that she could

raise without fearing that it would be snatched away.

In truth, Narcissa was the only person that Lucius Malfoy loved more than

himself. Their beliefs were fundamentally the same, but Narcissa was never intent

upon acting upon them. She was an elitist pureblood, but she would never act out

on anyone. He, however, served a master who was fully intent on acting out

aggressions against Muggles and Non-Muggles alike. Anyone or anything that did

not fit his Master's idea of purity would be eradicated and he, Lucius Malfoy, the

most loyal of all, would have the honor of playing a major role in it all. Narcissa

had initially been against the idea of involving Voldemort in the family. They had

only been married for a few years and, well, with a child on the way, it did not seem

like a healthy environment for such a child.

Voldemort had been clear to Lucius. The child would be of great

importance. He had not mentioned how and Lucius could have never imagined

how the prediction would come true.

To Be Continued...


	3. The Storm's Premonition

Chapter 3: Short, but long in coming. i've been busy with work, finals, vacations and other such things. Next week is going to be busy as well. But I have managed to pul this little chapter together to let you know I have not forgotten my fic. I never forget fics. They just go on hiatus for a long time .;;;

Destiny-Chapter 3

The night Draco was born, a terrible thunder storm had been raging, as if

nature itself sensed some unnatural being would be thrust into its midst. Lucius

remembered the night with a cold, distant attitude. At the time, however, it had

been quite different. He had been directly involved. He had been effectively

crushed by the entire experience. Naturally, he would never admit it to anyone but

himself.

The delivery had started fine, near a she could tell at least, for he was

forbidden to enter the quarters that Narcissa had decided many weeks ago would

be the maternity ward. She had been so excited, so exalted in her expectations.

Lucius sat in the hallway on a gilded chair for hours listening to the rain pelt the

manor walls and the thunder shake its very foundations. House Elves came and

went from the room with various medical supplies freshly Flooed by the doctor.

Occasionally, one of them would stop by and offer the master a cup of tea, which he

accepted and consumed without ever taking his gaze away from the wall across

from him.

Lucius found himself troubled. It was not only that his wife lay without his

support and companionship in this, the most trying of situations, but it was also the

fact that he did not share her jubilant outlook on parenting. He couldn't bring

himself to look forward to it. Something just felt so out of place with the whole

situation that he found his very acceptance of the moment was impossible. Even

the Dark Lord giving the child a gift had not been enough.

Lucius rolled the gift in his hand now. It was a medium sized emerald

pendant that was held in a silver mounting on an intricate silver string. Lucius

couldn't place why a child would need such a gift, but anything from Lord

Voldemort was surely an honor.

Another bead of sweat ran down his face.

How long should this be taking?

Lucius was quite sure it had been long enough and that as a husband and

dare he say it...a father, he had a right to know just how long this was SUPPOSED

to take.

A shrill scream sliced the air like a serrated blade.

Lucius bolted up, knocking the chair over. After a moment's hesitation, and

realizing that the scream was not Narcissa's, Lucius Malfoy threw the door open

and strode in with an air of intent purpose.

His pace was quickened when he heard Narcissa's voice somewhere in an

inner chamber: "Get out! NOW!"

------------

Narcissa had heaved and pushed for hours. She had began to wonder just

how long this was supposed to take when a final push had been the end of it. Sore

and exhausted, she fell back on the pillow. Her rest was momentary. Immediately,

she realized there was not a sound in the room. There was only the thunder and

rain outside. She looked down at her two attendants, one a doctor and the other a

nurse. Both were staring at something with a look of explicit horror and disbelief.

Narcissa's breath caught in her throat when an even more ominous thought

occurred to her.

The baby wasn't making any noise. Not a sound.

Her heart plummeted to the pit of her stomach.

"Doctor...where is my baby? Is something wrong?"

There was only a peal of thunder.

Narcissa began to shiver.

What if there really was something wrong with her baby? Something the

doctors could not fix. What if it was already dead? What if it was decayed and

rotting and they were so disgusted that they did not have the heart to tell her?

"What's wrong? Is my baby alright? Tell me!"

The doctor motioned to the nurse to pick up whatever lay on the bed. The

nurse reached out tentatively with a blanket and wrapped it it quickly around the

tiny body that Narcissa had brought into the world. The nurse began to walk slowly

towards the lady Malfoy with a look of fear displayed on her youthful face.

The bundle in her arms suddenly twitched. The nurse let loose a piercing

shriek and she dropped the infant to the floor where it landed with a sickening

thwack. Narcissa could only watch the dreadful scene in painfully slow motion.

The madness of a defensive mother flowed through her and despite her sheer

exhaustion minutes ago, she threw herself out of bed. She seized the bundle off

the ground and clutched it to her breast defensively. The doctor made sudden

motions to get her to calm down, but she would have none of it. She had had

enough of their incompetence.

"Get out! Now!" she bellowed at the doctor.

Not wanting to trouble her any further (or more likely, be near the monstrous

offspring), the doctor and his accomplice left without another word.

With the pests gone, Narcissa settled back on the bed, still clutching the

wiggling bundle to her heart. Slowly and carefully, she began to unwrap the

blissfully active bundle. Narcissa held her breath as she beheld her son for the first

time.

Now she realized the cause of the commotion. Her son wasn't human.

He was a dragon. A glittering green creature with a silvery blonde mane that

trailed down his back and with quick, intelligent eyes that were looking at her with a

kind of terrible anticipation. It was as if he expected his own mother to hurl him

away in distaste. Even as she held him, she could see his tiny wings wrapping

around him to protect his body from the fall.

"Oh...Oh no, baby. You must not ever think that," she sobbed quietly.

She slowly began rocking the child in her arms and holding her close to him. He

seemed to warm up to her instantly. Which was fortunate, for at that very moment,

Lucius Malfoy strode in.

The child in Narcissa's arms craned its head in the direction of the

newcomer and its mother saw a look of admiration in its sharp eyes. He knew this

man.

Lucius Malfoy stared at the thing in Narcissa's arms with a look of

puzzlement. This had to be a joke. It had to be...and a very distasteful one at that.

He had thought Narcissa had more class than that. But...but she wasn't laughing.

She looked as though she were about to explode into tears. That look slowly

became one of understanding and hatred.

"He did this," Narcissa said with a cold and vengeful certainty. "I know he

did and you probably knew! Lucius Malfoy, How could you?"

Lucius stood dumbfounded. His wife was actually serious. Wait! How dare

she implicate him in this farce!

"Narcissa.." he started, but found himself still holding the necklace in his

hand. A cold wave of confirmation rolled over him. He also felt the need to test a

theory that had crept into his mind a few moments ago. He stepped forward and

carefully fastened the chain around his son's small neck.

Narcissa gasped as the dragon in her arms melted into a soft and handsome

baby boy. A perfectly normal baby boy. With a shout of relief, she held the

newborn even more tightly to her.

"Lucius..how? What is that?" Narcissa asked with tears of joy in her eyes.

"A gift," was all he could bring himself to say.

Narcissa scowled, knowing fully what he meant by that. She knew the Dark

Lord had everything to do with this. Yet, she knew her husband was probably in

the dark about most of it. She could only wonder what was to become of her child

in the years ahead.

----

PRESENT DAY

As Lucius Malfoy rode to the lair of his master, he found himself inching away from

the body of his son. The boy's pale hand lay on the floor of the carriage, his arm

thrown listlessly over the edge of the seat. The nails were dark and curved, the

fingers were a sickening mixture of pale flesh and raised scales. Some purple vein

were visible beneath his skin. Lucius shuddered and shoved himself farther away

until he reached the far side of the carriage. He used his serpent headed cane to

push the offending appendage back to Draco's side of the seat. With another

shiver, Lucius wondered how much longer this would take.

END CHAPTER 3


	4. The Begining of the End

Author's note: Wow! Thanks for the reviews! I thought I'd pull together a short update. This fics going to be a little longer than anticipted OMG! Voldemort is hard to write!

Chapter 4

Lucius held his breath momentarily. He heard his master enter the room. The

Death Eater swallowed hard. He didn't want to face Narcissa when he got home.

He didn't know how he could. He was set not to tell her that "The Day" had come

and gone. He would keep letting her write letters and send care packages to a boy

who was no longer at Hogwarts. A boy who wasn't even a boy anymore. Perhaps

he could convince one of the other Death Eaters' children to write in Draco's place.

Then Narcissa could at least be happy for the rest of the year.

The Dark Lord was beside him now. He was pulling up a fine gilded chair next to

him. The servant sat beside his master and entertained a momentary inclination to

flee the room. He managed to fight it and sit unmoving. The Dark Lord eyed him

with massive predatory eyes. He seemed to be smiling. It was as if he knew

Lucius could do nothing to change the outcome of events that had been set in

motion more than seventeen years ago. It was Voldemort who broke the tense

silence between the two.

"I really must thank you. You who are my greatest and most loyal follower, have provided me with the means to destroy my enemies at my leisure. You and your wife will be compensated well for your...donation to the cause."

Lucius gripped the arm of his chair, his nails digging into the end. What did that

mean? How does one compensate for the loss of a child. True, it really didn't

bother him, he had always known this day would come. But Narcissa. She had

been so angry when she learned of what the Dark Lord had done. She had been

right about his involvement in their son's extraordinary birth and the pendant he

had given them was a placebo. It really held their son in his father's master's grip.

How could it be any other way? The plan had been set in motion long ago and there was nothing anyone could do.

Voldemort was apparently perturbed by lucius' silence and spoke again.

"He wasn't in any pain. He was unconscious when the pendant finally shattered,"

"But, Master. I can't help but think that Draco may be...a bit unreceptive of his destiny," Lucius managed to say without giving away any sign of inner turmoil.

The Dark Lord smiled.

"My dear Lucius, any animal can be trained if properly...conditioned. Should I encounter any such instances, believe me, they will be remedied,"

"Narcissa would...She would not want him hurt,"

"Are you presuming to tell me how I can treat my latest aquisition?"

"No! No, master. He is yours. Do as you will with him,"

"My dear Lucius, that is exactly what I intend to do,"

Draco awoke in a cold, damp room. The air smelt of dust, water and decay.

The ground was frigid and hard against his flesh. His eyes slowly opened. A tuft of

silvery blonde hair fell over his eyes. He shook it out of the way, he became

painfully aware of how naked his neck felt. The chain that had hung around it for

years was gone!

Draco felt a small explosion in his mind. If it was gone then he...He slowly

looked down a his hands. His heart plummeted to the pit of his stomach. It had

happened. His pendant was gone. His time was over. OVER. Over Forever.

FOREVER.

He suddenly felt colder. He drew his new wings tightly around himself for

warmth. He lay on the floor of the strange, foreign place and curled into a ball. He

would never walk down a hallway again. He would never play Quidditch again.

He would never see anyone from Hogwarts again...and if he did, they wouldn't

recognize him. All they would see was the body of some savage beast...a dragon.

He had always thought his name had been a cruel joke. Now he knew it had to be.

He was suddenly glad that he had gotten curious about his strange pendant

when he was about five. What a horrible shock this whole situation would be if he

had not been aware of his destiny.

When he was five, he had removed the chain and gem from around his

neck, no matter how many times his mother had told him not to. The pain then had

been terrible. he had been fully awake and had felt every terrible transformation of

tissue, every bend of bone. He had been so frightened of himself that he had fled

to a secret compartment above a bookcase. It took several hours of cajoling from

his mother, a ladder and several House Elves to get him down. When his father

reprimanded him for going against his parents, Draco had only sniffled and

begged..begged! for his pendant back. He placed it around his neck subserviently

and quickly regained his human shape. He remembered dashing off to his room

and spending hours looking in the mirror trying to uncover any evidence of his

'other form".

After that, he never begged again. He developed an attitude when he played with

other children. He was different from them. He knew it. His childish mind had

convinced him he was better. Well, that is what he always wanted to think. Really,

he was afraid. He did not ant to play with other children. He kept away from

anyone grabby or who just seemed too nice. This attitude had continued to

progress when he attended Hogwarts. Especially after he met Hermione Granger.

He was especially cold and cruel to her. Because she was the last person he

wanted to know about his destiny. If she hated him enough, she wouldn't care if he

was missing one day.

Well! He had certainly not made it any secret how he felt about her in the

end. That was in the past. All he could do was wait to see what would be done

with him. It didn't matter really. His ending would be anything but happy.

End Chapter 4


	5. Not Quite Alone

Hey there! I'm on a roll! Another Update! Uber thanks to LaughingRed and Moonjava for reviewing Thank You! Anyway, Chapter 5 arrives. Just what does Voldemort want Draco for anyway?

Chapter 5

Draco Malfoy had no idea how long he had been in the possession of the

Dark Lord. In the beginning, he had tried to keep track. However, all his methods

were deemed useless after what felt like weeks. He had no way of actually

gauging time. It didn't matter anyway. He was quite certain that he would spend

the rest of his life in whatever basement Voldemort had decided to keep him in. He

didn't even know where he was. I didn't matter. He never tried to escape. Where

would he go? It wasn't as if he could keep on living as a human if he left. His

enormous draconian talons dug into the floor at that thought.

At least his living conditions had improved. The room he was in had taken

on the air of a reptile enclosure: warm, dry and with just a hint of moisture in the air.

He had also been allowed a larger living space. Since attaining his new body,

Draco had at least tripled in size. He was still smaller than the dragons he

remembered from the Triwizard tournament, but he was still young after all.

His new, larger enclosure was attached to the room his father had left him in.

So, he effectively had two rooms at his disposal. In reality, it wasn't a lot, especially

when he wasn't allowed to leave. He longed to go outside, just to smell the air. His

captivity made him restless and irritable. However, it was his supreme loneliness

that made him truly miserable. The only one he ever saw was The Dark Lord. He

hated that...thing! It stared at him and made him feel like he was a child again,

shivering and helpless, afraid of its own reflection. The Dark Lord would stare at

him for hours, then leave saying something about what his true purpose was. This

form of exiting had much improved over time. At first, he had been so verbally

abusive (an undoubted attempt to break his acquisition's spirit)

Draco didn't really know or frankly care about what his purpose in the grand

scheme was. Little did he know, the horror of the truth lurked just outside the walls.

The slam of a heavy door jolted Draco out of his contemplative gaze. He got

to his feet, twitching his tail tentatively and shaking his mane of hair out of his eyes.

Draco beheld the Dark Lord throw something over the balcony he perched on. The

thing landed with a sickening biological "thud". Before Draco's eyes it began to

move. In unsteady, painful steps, it stood up.

It was a witch!

Draco's heart pounded for the first time in months. What was the meaning of

this? Surely the Dark Lord didn't have the intention of starting some kind of

collection. How many families must he wantonly destroy? Voldemort was rambling

about something now. The only part he actually managed to discern was "Take

care of her Draco. Take as much time a you need. Don't disappoint me."

What did he want him to do? The witch looked up at him with unparalleled

fear, as if she were more afraid of him than the Dark Wizard who put her in this

situation. Draco stared disbelievingly at the witch who was fumbling in her robes,

searching for a wand that had already been confiscated. A hunger pang hit

Draco's stomach suddenly.

Draco's mind began to put the sickening pieces of the puzzle together. He

hadn't been nearly enough over the past few days. Just enough to keep him from

blacking out. Oh...No! He couldn't eat her! He wasn't a cannibal! Or was a

dragon who used to be human eating a human an act of cannibalism? He didn't

know or really care about specifics, but it was something he absolutely refused to

do. But if he didn't, the Dark Lord would think of an even more horrible way for her

to die. An idea occurred to him suddenly. A small idea that just might work, but he

would have to put on a little bit of a show first, to make it convincing. A wicked

smile spread across his reptilian muzzle, a few sharp teeth showing.

Draco unfurled his wings and roared at the poor witch, it was all he could to

to keep from laughing and betray his true intentions. He made a few mock blows a

her to disorient her. He growled low in his throat before grabbing her with his

taloned hand and (gently) tossing her into his mouth. Oh how she screamed and

struggled.

Oh! Shut Up! he thought to himself. It was difficult enough to remember the spell

he was thinking of without all the noise coming from his mouth. He had no idea if

the magic spell he had created as a child would work by "thinking" the words

instead of actually saying them...he didn't even know if he could speak anymore, so

he thought with all his power...Appare Pinbublegem! A familiar strawberry flavor

filled his mouth and he swallowed without hesitation.

He cast a nonchalant look at the Dark Lord who appeared silently ecstatic.

He then turned and flopped down lazily in his small back room and pretended to

drift off to sleep.

When he was sure the Dark Lord had gone, satisfied with his pet's

performance, Draco sat up and wretched as hard as he could. Immediately, he

vomited the witch, safely encased in a strawberry bubble gum bubble, from his

system. He popped the bubble with a talon and watched calmly as the witch began

to panic again. She scrambled clumsily, trying to keep as far away from him as

possible. He clearly wasn't going to reach her. The poor dear was so frightened

that she had failed to realize that the dragon before her had performed magic

(albeit simple, unregistered magic).

Draco sighed and moved to the end of the enclosure, where he carefully

opened the grate in the wall. It was an escape that was too small for him, but

perfect for the witch.

The witch in question seemed to come to the sudden realization that he had

no intention of hurting her and had actually saved her. She seemed enveloped in

a strange calm now. She moved slowly and precisely down from her hiding place.

To encourage her, Draco lay flat on the ground and tried to look as small as

possible. She walked over to the grate and looked from the dragon to the escape.

"You want me to escape?" she asked tentatively.

Draco nodded best he could in his current position.

"Why?" she asked.

Draco extended a talon and traced in the sand the words "I am not his."

The witch looked at him quizically.

He continued. "I am myself. I do not follow him."

The witch then asked "What are you? What manner of creature are you that

you write and decide such matters for yourself. No other dragons have ever

displayed this kind of behavior,"

Draco's mane rose chillingly. He paused to collect his thoughts.

He found that he had no answer. He did not want to betray his origins to this

stranger. He actually found himself close to tears. Instead of answering, he lay his

head down on the ground and made a soft whimpering sound. An answer occurred

to him then and he wrote a single word in the dust.

"Alone."

The witch looked at him sympathetically and walked slowly over to him. She

placed her hands on either side of his face. He looked up into her warm, chocolate

covered eyes. It was like looking at some long lost grandmother. He felt better just

being touched by this woman.

"You are magnificent. Thank You," she spoke softly and comfortingly, as if to a sick

child. She leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the end of his nose.

The witch rose and made for her escape.

Upon reaching the gate, the witch turned and said: "You have the gratitude of

Helga Hazelwood of the order of Aurors. Your actions will not go unnoticed,"

With that, she turned and exited, disappearing into the grate and closing in

behind her. Draco did not move. All he felt was a crushing loneliness that seemed

greater than ever before.

As long as his only companion had been the Dark Lord, he had preferred solitude,

but now he felt even more alone and miserable than ever before. His thoughts

wandered to Hermione and provided momentary respite. The thought of her always

seemed to do that. She had graduated by now. Probably had a job. A high paying

one. She was that good. She deserved it more than anyone else. Maybe she even

got married.

The thought of that made his stomach tighten. Why? She had a right to

happiness! Why did this bother him?

No! I can't possibly have been locked up that long. Those things take time.

He repeated this several times before returning his attention to the grate. He fell

asleep staring at it and wishing he could escape trough it. Just once, to make sure

Hermione was alright.

END CHAPTER 5


	6. Link to the Past

Woot! Its another chapter (trying to get as much done as possible before I go on vacation. Thanks for reviewing Moonjava!

Its just a short chapter for now.

Chapter 6-

Draco's life continued in the same manner as his encounter with the witch.

He was able to gauge when his time frame for when the customary dumping of the

Auror, Mudblood, or any other poor sap into his enclosure by the amount of food

the house elves left for him. He ran various schemes for the "consumption" of the

prisoners. It was rather fun now. As he had nothing else to occupy his mind with,

he found himself taking a strange and perverse pleasure in deceiving his captor.

Draco had lost count of the people he had regurgitated. The thought of what he

was actually doing had ceased to bother him and had lost any disgust it originally

possessed. His habit had become the only way he could slight the wretched being

who had cast him into this miserable existence. Thus far, he had not encountered

any signs that his captors were any the wiser to what exactly he was doing. Draco

had also not come across any witches or wizards that he actually knew. He felt a

strange reassurance that, if anything ever went wrong, he didn't really know them

anyway and thus, would be unaffected if something went horribly wrong with his

amateur magic. He also wondered what this confinement was doing to his sense

of logic at times.

He knew there would probably be another prisoner cast to him today. To be

frankly honest, he wasn't looking forward to it. His throat was rather sore from a

wizard who insisted on wearing as many charms against evil as possible from a

few days ago. Bubble or no bubble, he still drug along Draco's throat going up and

down. He winced a she swallowed again. Dragon anatomy was not unlike human

anatomy in many ways. This was merely a more annoying one.

Sure enough, there was the customary thud of a human being being

heartlessly cast into the lair of the beast. Draco growled low in his throat in

disapproval, but gathered his wits and brought forth his most menacing face, or at

least the most menacing face he could muster.

Upon seeing the unfortunate bloke, it took all his energy to keep up the front

and not stare goggle eyed at the wizard before him. He knew that man! IT was..

WEASEL! WEASEL WEASLEY...his mind seemed to blare the name.

Draco suddenly felt disappointed. He supposed, momentarily, that he did not

have to save this one. But then he would be doing as his captors pleased, besides,

he might actually have a family a wife and kids at home...he certainly didn't want to

condemn anymore Weasely children to poverty. Now he really was beginning to

wonder what this confinement was doing to his head! Nonetheless, he put on his

usual flashy spectacle of roars and slashed before snapping up Ronald Weasely

by the cloak and swallowing him whole, all the while thinking the bubble gum spell

as hard as he could. He made sure to add a little smirk, or as much as a dragon

could smirk, to add to the convincing portrayal of his former Hogwarts self. The one

that hated Weasely. Draco seemed to momentarily fool himself. He then retreated

to his smaller room. He waited a few extra minutes in case his captors were on to

his tricks...and to tickle Weasely's fear bone. When he was satisfied that he had

done both, he regurgitated the swallowed wizard and felt very proud of himself for

doing so.

Ron had popped his own bubble gum bubble on the way back up and was

now coated in a light mist of dragon saliva. nonetheless, he wrung himself out and

stood up, boldly, yet not too loudly, addressing his savior.

"Bleedin' Hell! You're him! You are that bloody dragon who saves people by vomitin' 'em back up! I must admit, you're somewhat of a legend at the Ministry you put on there. Might convincing if you ask me and bloody brilliant too. I'm Ronald Weasely by the way,"

Draco knew very well who he was, but he couldn't help but sit transfixed and

listen to him. While others had thanked him, no one, save for the first witch, had

addressed him as if he actually were human and not some ridiculous enchantment

gone awry. Even now, Weasely continued his monologue.

"Well, look at you. My brother studies dragons, you know? I've never seen one like you. You're totally different from any I've ever seen anywhere. Do you know where you came from?"

Draco, at once found himself in somewhat of a dilemma. Should he reveal himself,

or remain in secret? Weasely provided something the others did not...a link to his

past at Hogwarts. Perhaps he could find out what had become of a certain

classmate.

TO BE CONTINUED

I wanted to do a straight forward cliffhanger with this one. That and I'm tired, but I wanted to update.


	7. I Want Out

Here is chapter 7!

Chapter 8 will be up soon, too Enjoy!

Speech note: Dialog is "tabbed". Writing in sand is not

Chapter 7

Draco's mind flashed a thousand outcomes for this situation. He wanted nothing to

do with ninety five percent of them. He found that all he wanted after these months

was to be OUT. To be free from this nightmarish place where he was treated as

nothing but a mindless animal. He didn't care where he went as long as he didn't

have to face either his serpentine tormentor or his father ever again. The Dark Lord

had at least been honest for all intents and purposes of making Draco into some

kind of pet, while his father had been deceitful. He called him "son", made a show

of bringing his boy up the proper way. But it was all a sham. He realized now that

his father was only a manipulator. He'd no doubt only feigned affection for him

because his mother wanted him to. There were time she wondered whatever

became of her.

But now was not the time for such meandering thoughts.

He didn't want to betray his true identity to Weasely by any stretch of the

imagination, but he didn't want to languish in this horrible place any longer.

He scrawled in the sand with a clawed digit.

"Why do you want to know?"

Ron raised an eyebrow at the question.

"Bit cheeky for an isolated fellow, aren't you?" he made it a statement more than a question.

"I want out," Draco wrote.

"Me too," Ron looked up at the dragon before him.

He saw its scales were dull in areas, undoubtedly an effect of being kept in such

cramped conditions and being in a state of unstimiulated mental health. Dragons

needed room to really move around. From the looks of this one, it hadn't been

outside for quite some time.

"How long has that bloody bastard Voldemort kept you down here, anyway?"

Ron gently inquired.

Just when he thought nothing could dig at his pitiful existence anymore,

Draco felt the muscles in his chest clench. With a shaking talon, he etched:

"I don't even know,"

Ron sensed some odd tragedy about the creature before him. He felt that it

had an acute awareness of its dismal lot in life. It must not have been kept here all

its life. It must have known freedom, or at least some form of it. Otherwise, it would

not be so melancholy. If one was ignorant of life, one could not mourn its loss or

realize its pitiful situation.

Ron sighed. He decided to press the subject of where such a peculiar

dragon came from again. Albeit, this time, he would have to be somewhat sneaky about it.

"So...where did they keep you before they brought you here?" he asked nonchalantly.

Draco pondered. He wanted to tell Weasley everything, if only he weren't Weasley. He settled on something vague.

"Far away. There was a forest...a lake...a castle,"

There! It captured the idea enough. It felt oddly relieving to have anyone just to

communicate that much to. He hadn't been here his whole life, he didn't want to be here

at all. There was just no one else who asked!

"Sounds nice. Its a shame they keep you locked up down here. I can't lie though,

its been a great thing for our people. But still, there has to be a way to get you out of her,

too. Its not right to keep a dragon in a hole like this. Can you fly?" Ron asked with

sudden hope.

"Don't know. Never Tried," Draco scrawled. His mind pounded. Weasley had just offered to get him out of here! If this day couldn't get stramger.

Draco had never tried. The room wasn't big enough to gain any altitude. The air

was still and stale, there were no currents that could be used as boosters. The ceiling

was far too low to even hint at even hovering. Besides, it was positively inhuman to fly.

Draco shuddered at the thought. Perhaps the real reason he had never seriously

attempted it was because it would prove that he was no longer human. He hadn't any

idea how long he had been kept in this ungodly cell, but he hadn't wanted to admit that

he was lost to the world of man. He didn't feel any different now than when he had been

a young man. He still had the same thoughts, emotions...the only thing that really was

different.

Ron sensed some uneasiness in his companion. He supposed it wasn't a good

idea to bring up flying to a dragon so unused to, well, anything outside this room.

"Look, I only mentioned it so I wouldn't have to use my secret stash of Floo. I

mean, I don't know if I have enough for both of us. I never flooed a dragon before. You're

a pretty small fellow, dragon wise, not to slight you, of course. But it is enough for two

people. I know you know some magic, or else you couldn't pull the bubble gum bit. I

know dragon's don't talk. so I'll say it and you concentrate really hard on where you want

to go, alright?"

"Nowhere to go. No fire," Draco wrote.

"You can come with me then, back to the Ministry. They'll probably be wanting to

give you a medal or some such thing. Fire wise, you're a bloody dragon. Just puff a little

fire out. Problem solved, mate! Or..haven't you ever done that either?"

Draco paused. He could try. He'd felt heat welling in his chest before. When he was angry, or thinking about would could have happened to HErmione. He decided to try it.

"Let's go. Now" he wrote.

Ron smiled.

"Now we're talking!"

Draco thought of all the lies he'd been told. He thought of how his mother was left

alone with a husband who spirited her son away...gave him away to a creature of

indescribable evil. He thought of how he couldn't be there to protect anyone he even

remotely cared for from the Dark Lord.

He felt hate and rage. He felt fire.

Draco shot an icy blue glare at Ron. Ron took his small pouch of Floo powder out

of his robes. He took off his outer robe and tossed it between them. This would have to

be quick!

Draco shot a plume of flame from his mouth. The robe caught fire. Ron threw

what remained of his Floo powder into the fire and leapt into it. Draco made tried to fit

into the fire as much as he could.

He could hardly hear what Weasely shouted. He didn't care where they went. He didn't

care if he died trying to get there. He wanted to be anywhere but there.

Suddenly, they weren't.

Suddenly, they were in the courtyard outside of the Ministry of Magic.

END of Chapter 7

BUM BUM BUM!

Who's inside? You'll just have to come back for Chapter 8. There'll be RL/NT And one original character. But it's not a Mary Sue! She's only 2 XD


	8. She's Never Done Blonde Before

I said Chapter 8 would be up soon. everything but Terps belongs to JKR & WB.

Enjoy!

Chapter 8

When the faint scent of the Floo powder vanished, Draco breathed in fresh

air for the first time in ages. It smelled faintly of moisture and the grass around them

was lightly misted from an earlier shower. He craned his neck upwards and beheld

a slightly crescent moon peeking through the clouds. A far off rumble of thunder

shook the air around them.

He wanted to cry. He wanted to cry out in joy at the sheer beauty of

everything around him...here...at the Ministry of Magic...with Weasley. That almost

killed the moment. Almost.

Weasley!

His plan had worked! They were both far and away from whatever hole they had been trapped in.

But...what would happen to him now? He surely couldn't live amongst

people. He just couldn't easily navigate the human world in the state he was in. A

green dragon was blatantly eye catching. Neither could he live in the wilderness.

For all the appearances he was a dragon, but unfortunately, none of the instincts

accompanied this form. He felt incredibly alone now. More so than he had while

being imprisoned. At least there, he had no painful reminders of what he had lost.

But, at least he was out of the grip of the Dark Lord.

Ron dusted off his robes and headed for the large door of the Ministry.

Draco hesitated before following him. He could see that he could fit, the Ministry

offices having been designed to allow even Giants to enter with plenty of room over

their heads. It was as if, for a moment, Draco was unsure whether he wanted to

enter. He paused a moment, perhaps waiting for some kind of sign. Ron saw his

hesitation and called out an encouraging statement of reassurance. Draco slowly

followed him into the well lit hallways of the Ministry.

He followed Ron through various hallways. It was late, obviously, but up

ahead, he heard several people talking, book pages turning and various objects

clattering around. He heard a small child coo and giggle.

"Terpsichore, darling, that is not a toy. Put that down, dear. There's a good

girl," a man spoke kind, yet firm words to an unseen child.

Draco knew that voice. He had listened to it lecture for all of third year. It

was Remus Lupin!

There was a wild giggle and the sound of small feet unevenly pattering around.

Draco froze for a moment. What if there were other people he knew there?

He tried to swallow a lump in his throat.

Ron stopped and smiled.

"All right, then! Everyone's here! Wait here a moment, I'll go announce you

properly," he headed off, but paused momentarily and added, "Oh! If a little purple

haired girl comes through here and turns into a purple wolf, don't worry. Its only

Terps. She does it all the time,"

The red headed young man then headed off in the direction that he came. A

few moments later, a small, purple topped head poked out of one of the doors. Two

enormous brown eyes blinked at Draco several times, as if trying to comprehend

the unusual sight before her. Draco could only stare back. He lowered himself to

the ground a little more. He didn't want his first impression to be related to

frightening a small child.

Familiar sounding uneven footsteps pattered toward him. A little girl of about

two was now bumbling toward him. She was wearing a short, pink dress and fluffy

bloomers that caused her skirt to puff out slightly. Her hair was held up in small

pigtails with rainbow colored barrettes. This must be Terps.

The child had a look of absolute elation on her small, round face. Draco

looked at her sharply, whoever her mother was, she must look an awful lot like her

because the only thing Draco recognized as vaguely Lupin were the eyes. The

little girl toddled towards him and stopped only when she placed her tiny hands on

the end of his snout. She smiled widely and stared into his eyes. Draco felt oddly

uncomfortable with her peering at him. He got the strange sense that she was

looking through him. She was looking through his fearsome exterior. She saw

him. The realization hit him suddenly. It was frightening. This small child knew

what he was he could tell.

Terps giggled to herself. Slowly, Draco watched her hair change from light

purple to a stunning platinum blonde. His lower jaw dropped open. Terps laughed

again.

"Surprise!" she shouted loudly and immediately transformed into a little white

wolf cub. She yipped and wagged her tail at Draco before shifting back to her

human form. She did it so easily! Draco felt a shameful jealousy of this child who

could change back and forth between forms so effortlessly and...painlessly? Ron

had said she did this all the time. She wouldn't do it if it hurt. Did she even know

how lucky she was?

"Well. I'll be!" a female voice invaded the room.

Draco looked up to see Ron, accompanied by a purple haired young woman.

Terps squealed with delight.

"Mommy!" she cried and latched onto the lady's robes. The woman picked her up and looked at her hair.

"I must say Ron, that draconian friend of yours must be something special.

We haven't gotten anyone to get her to do blonde before,"

"Ssss like his!" Terps smiled and pointed at Draco.

The lady turned towards Draco and addressed him.

"I'm sorry if she was bothering you. She get saway from her father and I

sometimes. I'm Nymphadora Tonks -Lupin, by the way. My husband Remus will

be up to meet you shortly as well. He has a few last things to go over with Ms.

Granger. You're somewhat of a celebrity around here..."

Draco honestly didn't here anything she said after "Ms. Granger" because he

saw her. Hermione. There. Here. Her title wa "Ms.". Now. Walking towards him with such a happy

look on her face. He must have died and gone to Heaven. Saving all those Aurors

was worth it if this was what he got to see for eternity.

He took several bold steps forward. He wasn't afraid anymore. He wanted

to tell her everything. To tell her what had happened to him. To tell her he always

thought about her. He felt tears well up in his eyes. He opened his mouth to

speak...but nothing came out. No words. He had forgotten he couldn't speak.

Vainly, he tried again and succeeded only in making a strange, strangled sounding

vocalization. His heart felt as though it plunged through the floor. Terps sensed his

despair and began to bawl loudly. Hermione looked directly at Draco and paused,

as if she were...frightened of him. Draco felt ashamed. His cheeks burned. He

was glad for once that his scales were a dark, royal green, it kept his humiliation

from being any worse. Suddenly, he felt trapped again. He had to get outside. He

had to get away. He couldn't stand it. Not her being so close, but so far away from

him. Draco wondered, suddenly, if he hadn't died and gone to Hell instead.

End of Chapter 8

END OF CHAPTER EIGHT! YEAH! Wow. I just had to end with some angst! I loved creating Terps. She is so adorable in my mind, I tried to make her half as cute in the fic. Anyway. Thanks for reading!


	9. Tonks and the Dragon Boy

Destiny

Chapter 9

Tonks caught a look of something in the way the dragon Ron presented. IT was something she was all too familiar with and was quite sure it was of an utmost personal nature. She boosted her daughter so she could get a better hold on the child before approaching the dragon cautiously. She looked up at it slowly, taking in every emerald scale and those eyes that were trying very hard not to burst into tears.

"Ron," she interrupted the din of excited witches and wizards suddenly. "Why don't you take everyone in the other room and tell them of your daring escape. I'll take this fellow outside and get him freshened up, alright?"

Ron was eager to tell the tale and agreed, ushering everyone out of sight. TOnks motioned to Draco.

"Walk with me, won't you?"

Draco nodded and followed her, feeling awkward with his four legged gait next to her swift two legged one. The two reached a large metal gate which Tonks opened with a switch of her wand. Terps cooed in her grasp as sparks ushered from her mother's wand.

"You're human, aren't you?" Tonks asked, already knowing the answer.

Draco's eyes widened.

"I can tell. I am married to a werewolf, after all. I can see the human in you the same way I see it in Remus when he transforms. Not many others can see it. It takes a trained eye. Terps here even knew before me,"

The little girl beamed at the mention of her name. She pointed at Draco.

"Man,"

"Very good, sweety. We don't mention that around people other than Mommy and Daddy, right?"

"Yesh," Terps slurred.

Tonks returned her glance to the dragon boy.

"What's your name?"

He didn't move, but he felt his mane bristle.

"Please tell me, I won't tell anyone else if you really don't want me too. But, I generally like to know the names of my friends," Tonks grinned.

Draco gave her a sharp "you swear?" glance before scrawling his name in the dust on the street. His full name.

Now it was Tonks' turn to widen your eyes.

"Oh…my…you," she looked at him, trying to piece together anything specific to the young man she had seen at King's Cross Station all those years ago. Draco noticed that she must have found it because she nodded to herself with certainty.

"He did it, didn't he? Voldemort, I mean," she asked plainly.

Draco nodded.

"Wow. That's pretty twisted. You're the son of one of his most loyal Death Eaters, too. Imagine what he does to everyone else. Believe it or not, its even more horrible. I worry about this little one and the future sometimes. You know?"

Tonks and Draco looked up at the stars for a few moments.

"We'd better go back in. I'll get you a drink of something and something civilized to eat for once. I really have to say that bubblegum charm was brilliant,"

Draco felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. He did feel better now that somebody knew who he really was. Now all that remained to be seen was if anyone else could put together the pieces Tonks had.

END Chapter 9


	10. A chat with Tonks

AN: Fanfiction is called that for a reason. JKR and WB own these guys. Also, Draco's grammar for dirt writing is intentionally inaccurate. He is keeping things simple.

A Chat With Tonks

Draco had taken to life at the reordered Ministry with surprising ease. He found it

much easier to be around people than his first encounter. Terpsichore had taken it upon

herself to be his makeshift guide and, somewhat unwilling on his part, playmate. He

had only seen Hermione on one other occasion since arriving. It had been awkward, to

say the least.

She had stopped to personally thank him for rescuing her fiance, Ronald

Weasely, from the grip of the Dark Lord. Draco had immediately wished he had actually

swallowed his rival when he had the chance. Well, there was nothing he could do about

it now. He knew Ron was probably better for her anyways, especially considering his

current predicament, but that didn't stop him from being thoroughly irked by the fact that

the only woman he ever loved was engaged to someone he could barely tolerate.

While he gave Ron credit for helping him escape, he couldn't quite allow himself to be

friendly towards the young man.

Ever since Hermione's confession, he had been somewhat uncivil to his romantic

rival. He would refuse to participate in "conversations" with Ron and avoided him

whenever possible. Ron, who still had no idea of Draco's real identity, was perplexed

beyond measure at this new animosity. Tonks noticed both the correlation of Draco's

newfound attitude to the romantic involvement between Ron and Hermione. His mood

swings seemed to center around hugs and kisses. If someone didn't do something, she

was afraid heated snorts and silence would give way to a rampant dragon and frankly,

that was not anything she wanted to risk. One night, she called him aside, inviting him

into an outdoor courtyard.

"Draco, you need to stop this personal feud with Ron, I don't want it to turn into

something ugly. We've been having enough problems with morale as it is. I really don't

want something from the inside to tear our little faction apart. I understand what you're

going through. Remus took forever to respond to my feelings. I felt so lost and sad

when he wouldn't acknowledge me, but I kept going. You need to do the same!"

Draco knew she was right, but still felt horrible. Maybe there was another girl

who would...Bah!, he thought, there isn't a woman alive who would take him as he was.

Nevertheless, he nodded at Tonks and sighed. Terps seemed to sense his depression

and quickly changed into her cub form and licked his front claw affectionately, her small

tail wagging happily behind her. He forced what could be considered a smile for the

child. She was doing her best to cheer him up. Satisfied with her work, Terps shifted

back to her normal form and toddled over to her mother.

"I think you knew something like this was going to happen to you," Tonks

commented softly.

Draco started.

"I think you knew it, so you didn't seriously pursue any long term relationships.

You knew you would have to leave whoever it was you loved and in order to spare them

the pain of losing you, you made them hate you instead,"

She was right.

He'd done all of that.

"What you did was noble from a certain point of view. But, from another, I think

you've caused yourself a great deal of mental anguish. You do realize it could have

lasting effects on your mind, don't you?" Tonks inquired.

Draco sighed and scrawled in the dirt:

"Probably"

"What would your mother say if she saw that?" Tonks demanded.

"She'd Understand"

"Really?" Tonks sounded unconvinced.

"She Knew Too"

Tonks looked into his steely eyes.

"What do you mean she knew? About you turning into a dragon?"

"Yes Just not when"

"That must have been very hard for her," Tonks said softly. "I mean, when I was pregnant with Terps, I knew..I mean, she was Remus' daughter after all. There was a high probability she would be a Werewolf, an outcast. But, Fate was kind to our family and whatever magic interacted, I'm glad it did. I can't imagine waiting to find out whether or not she would be accepted anywhere at school or not. We keep it a secret that the only animal she can transform into is a wolf. We say that she's just imitating Remus. Poor Narcissa. I can't imagine what that would be like,"

Draco realized he had not even considered where his mother was through all of this.

"I used to see your mother more often. After you disappeared, she helped us out. She must have been trying to find you. You're father is in Azkaban now. I don't know if you knew,"

"Good"

Tonks exhaled at the singular response to her revelation.

"It happened about six months ago. I think your mother went into hiding after that. She turned him in,"

"He got what he deserved"

"Do you really believe that?" Tonks asked.

"He gave his own child away to a madman"

Tonks sniffed.

"Yes. I know. It was a horrible thing to do. Between us, I think he got what he deserved as well. I just can't imagine doing that to your own child,"

She placed a specific emphasis on the last three words.

Draco felt a fiery hatred simmer in his insides.

Tonks looked up at him.

"You know, we should find your mother and let her know you are alright,"

An icy claw seemed to clench around Draco's heart.

"Yes"

Then:

"I don't want her to see me"

Tonks swallowed.

Draco, I'm quite sure she wouldn't care what you look like. You're her son. Seeing you any way at all would be an enormous relief,"

"I don't want to hurt her anymore or anyone else"

Tonks suddenly sniffed, her eyes glassy.

"You can't do this to yourself. You can't isolate yourself anymore,"

"NO"

"Are you really that proud? That you would refuse comfort from those who love you? Maybe you're more like our father than you'd like to admit," Tonks snapped at him.

A sudden fiery rage erupted within Draco's very being. It was if all the horror and sorrow he had encountered since his escape had come crashing down on him at once. Hot, salt tears burned in his eyes and, turning away from Tonks, he let out a breathe of fire that incinerated the few trees in the courtyard. A sudden shame overcame him immediatel, followed by an explosion of emotions that all seemed to scream at him at once in his skull.

_Monster!_

_You should control yourself!_

_Inhuman thing!_

_Disgusting!_

_What did I just do!_

_Shameful! You could have hur_t Tonks or Terpsichore!

_What would you mother say?_

and worst of all:

_What would Hermione say about you? If she knew it was really you?_

_She'd be apalled and glad to be marrying Ronald Weasely...not some winged beast!_

With a whine of uncertainty, Draco looked about frantically, trying to make himself as small as possible. He slunk away from Tonks a bit before scrawling:

"You're Right"

Terps had started to sob in fright and he could hear Tonks apologizing, but she

didn't have to. She was right. He was too proud. He couldn't stand the thought of

everyone knowing. But there was something different about him. He would overcome

this...if he could. He would tell everyone, even though it pained him. He would over

come his pride and face them. He approached Tonks slowl, crouched low to the ground

and scrawled:

"Please help me"

Holding Terpsichore (who had settled down) in one arm,Tonks wrapped her other one around Draco's neck.

"Of course," she said.


End file.
